All too aware that the last week of summer vacation was slipping through our fingers, my son and I hurried about with almost manic energy. We played croquet and Legos, picked tomatoes and beans, and took the dog for walks along a nearby lake. When my son napped, I did laundry, pulled weeds and made lists preparing for the start of school.

Then yesterday, for no apparent reason, we came from opposite ends of the house and paused together before a window overlooking the copse at the back of our property. At that very moment, a breeze picked up, and as we watched, leaves that we hadn’t even realized had turned gold began to fall, and as another gust hit, more and more dropped, littering the lawn like banana-flavored Laffy Taffy from a broken piñata.

No, no, no! I thought, watching with regret and then a small amount of appreciation as autumn settled in.